How to Increase the Value of Your Home: Simple, Budget-Conscious Techniques and Ideas That Will Make Your Home Worth Up to $100,000 More! (CLS.EDUCATION)

An easy-to-follow guide for home owners who want to maximize the value of their most important investment With anxiety over the stock market running high and home equity loan rates at an alltime low, Americans are investing in their homes like never before. Last year alone, consumers spent a record $123 billion on home building projects. How to Increase the Value of Your Home provides solid answers to questions such as: Is it better to build a downstairs bathroom or to remodel my kitchen? And it provides: Techniques for commanding higher prices and quicker sales--now and 10 years from now Guidance on which renovations to invest in and which ones to avoid Vicki Lankarge (Hartford, CT) is an authority on protecting the value of houses. She writes on consumer issues for aol.com, CBS Marketwatch, and MSN.com. Dan Nahorney (Hartford, CT) is a journalist, business writer, and magazine editor. The guide to maximizing the value of your most valuable assetMillions of Americans are investing in home improvements, hoping to increase the long-term value of their most valuable asset. But do you know which home improvements will make your home's value jump, and those that won't? This practical guide covers all of the topics every homeowner must consider before getting started--improvements that add the most value, which should be undertaken first, and how to do it right from the very start. From remodeling the kitchen to landscaping the front yard and everything in between, you'll learn which improvements you should undertake, and which are a waste of your time and money.How to Improve the Value of Your Home will help you get the most bang for your home-improvement buck--with handy tips on lowering the cost of home maintenance and home improvement projects. If you aren't sure whether now is the right time to remodel, a simple quiz helps you to determine what you can afford to do and what to expect as a long-term payoff.And there's more:Calculate the cost versus the value of improvementsWhat homework you need to do before tackling additionsHow to find the resources and information you needWhere to find the right contractor to do the workHow to set a home-improvement budgetWays to improve home energy efficiencyTips on saving on home insuranceSimple ways to create curb appeal From remodeling the kitchen to landscaping the front yard and everything in between, this guide helps you understand which improvements you should undertake, and which are a waste of your time and money. It includes tips on lowering the cost of home maintenance and home improvement projects. "Simple, budget-conscious techniques and ideas that will make your home worth up to $100,000 more"--Cover